Dust collector



K. J. MACKEY DUST COLLECTOR June 11, 1968 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Oct. 10, 1966 0000 0503 6000 000000000000: 60000 0.00 0000 00000 009 0000 II I IIIIIIHI! HII I|\..HHHHHH| 0 0000 000 K. J. MACKEY DUST COLLECTOR June 11, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 10, 1966 O O O J INVENTOR KENNETH J. MACKEY BY Skwa ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,387,433 DUST COLLECTOR Kenneth J. Maclrey, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to The Torit Corporation, Ramsey County, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Oct. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 585,678 2 Claims. (Cl. 55-356) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention describes a generally rectangular enclosure having a top wall provided with a central aperture encircled by an upwardly extending flange. A porous filter bag is provided with an open end of cylindrical shape of proper size to extend through the flange and fold over the top thereof. A drawstring tightens the bag end about the flange. A lid is provided with a peripheral gasket which seals the bag against the top of the flange. The lid is provided with an air inlet; and a blower on the bottom panel draws air through the bag from the inlet.

This invention relates to an improvement in lint collector and deals particularly with an extremely simple and effective device for collecting and containing fibrous lint and dusts.

In many plants such as those used in the manufacture of textiles and their related products as well as Wood fibers and their related products, a linter type dust is produced in such quantity that difficulty is experienced in collecting it. This dust is so great in bulk that it quickly fills up any ordinary collectors. Furthermore, the dust can not be easily shaken out or emptied out of the bags or tubes in which it collects.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a cabinet designed to accommodate a fabric bag of considerable size having an open upper end. The top of the cabinet is provided with an aperture encircled by a substantially cylindrical flange or sleeve. The open upper end of the bag is properly proportioned to extend over the upper edge of this flange or sleeve and to be folded down externally thereof. A lid is provided, the peripheral edge of which is designed to overlie the folded upper edge of the bag and the flange or sleeve. A means is provided for removing air from the interior of the cabinet exteriorly of the bag. The lid is provided with an inlet opening which may be connected by suitable duct Work to at hood or inlet. While the lid merely rests upon the upper edge of the flange or sleeve, a tight point is provided when the device is in operation, due to the partial vacuum which exists within the cabinet.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a cabinet for enclosing a foraminous bag which is provided with a grille or screen supported above the bottom panel. The fan or blower used to withdraw air from the cabinet is preferably mounted on the bottom panel, and the grille acts as a guard for preventing contact between the bag and the fan inlet.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a device of the type described having a l d supported overlying a flanged opening in the top panel, and means for supporting the lid in an elevated position when the device is not in use. In other words, during the time the bag is being removed and emptied, means are provided for supporting the lid above its usual position.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a dust collecting device designed to capture by holding and ducting fibrous dust and materials as they are generated by many varied operations, or to capture them as they float in free air after escaping from 3,387,433 Patented June 11, 1968 such operations as can not be hooded, and collect these materials in a filter element that can be used to store or transport the material as desired.

A further purpose of the present invention lies in the provision of a device of the type described including a filter element which may be easily changed even h n full of collected material of a fibrous nature, so as to allow changes from one filter element to another in a short period of time. As a result, contamination of one material with another in the filter bag because of color, size, type or material is avoided.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a device of the type described that is completely self contained except for the source of electrical current, and any necessary ducting or hooding devices. The device is readily portable from one part of a shop to another so that its location may be readily changed.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device, showing the general arrangement of parts,

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the cabinet, showing the grille or screen protecting the fan, the position of the section being indicated by the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 of the drawings is an enlarged sectional view through a portion of the removable lid, the flange upon which it rests, and the manner in which the top of the bag is folded over the flange.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional View through the cabinet, showing the general arrangement of parts therein.

The lint collector is indicated in general by the letter A. The collector includes a generally rectangular cabinet illustrated in general by the numeral It The cabinet 10 includes parallel sides 11 and 12, the rear edges of which are connected by a rear panel 13, and the front edges of the side panels 11 and 12 are connected by a front panel 14. The front panel 14 is provided with an aperture therein which is normally closed by a door 15 hingedly connected to the front panel by a hinge 15. A latching means for the door is diagrammatically illustrated at 17.

The rectangular tubular structure thus formed is closed at its upper end by means of a top closure panel 19 having a channel shaped downwardly projecting peripheral edge 20 overlying the various wall panels. A bottom panel 21 closes the lower end of the cabinet. While the details of construction of the cabinet are not illustrated, the vertical corners are preferably reinforced by angle iron members 22.

Angularly extending legs 23 are secured beneath the corners of the bottom panel to support the hollow rectangular cabinet 10 in spaced relation to the floor or other support. The legs 23 provide space beneath the cabinet for accommodating the suction fan and motor, as will be later described.

The top panel 19 is provided with a central aperture 25 which is encircled by an upwardly extending peripheral flange 26. The flange 26 preferably terminates in a rolled or rounded upper edge 27. The aperture 25 is normally closed by a removable lid which is indicated in general by the numeral 29. As is indicated in FllGURE 3 of the drawings, the lid 29 includes a ring shaped inverted channel shaped rim 30, the outer edge 31 of which is provided with a rolled edge 32. The inner wall 33 of the channel is connected to a shallow concavo-convex ring 34 which leads at its inner and upper edge to an inlet sleeve 35. The sleeve 35 is adapted to communicate by a suitable ductwork, not illustrated in the drawings, to a hood or area in which air and lint are present. In other words, the ductwork, which is usually at least partially flexible, leads from a hood or other enclosure where lint or similar airborne particles are present.

A gasket ring 36 of foam rubber or other suitable material is positioned in the channel 30, and is designed to seat upon the upper end 27 of the flange 26. The gasket 36 is designed to seal against the filter bag, as will be described.

The bag is indicated best in FIGURE 4 in the drawings by the numeral 37. The bag 37 includes an intermediate portion 39 which may be cylindrical or slightly barrel shaped as illustrated with outwardly bowed walls. The upper edge of the intermediate portion 39 is connected along a circular seam 40 to a substantially frustoconical portion 41. The upper edge of the tapering portion 41 is connected by a seam 42 to a generally cylindrical portion 43, the upper end of which is doubled as indicated in FIGURE 3 at 44 to form a seam enclosing a drawstring 45 by means of which the hem may be tightened about the outer periphery of the flange 26 when the bag is in place. Actually, the intermediate bag portion 39 is normally formed as a cylindrical sleeve, and the upper portion 41 is frusto-conical. However, when air is being drawn through the bag 37, it assumes the rounded shape illustrated in FIGURE 4. The lower edge of the intermediate portion 39 is connected along a seam 46 to a bottom panel 47. The bottom panel 47 is normally flat when the bag is formed, but bows downwardly as indicated in FIGURE 4 when air is evacuated from the cabinet. The bottom panel 21 of the cabinet includes a central aperture 49 which communicates with the interior of a blower housing 50. The blower housing 50 is normally provided with a tangentially extending outlet duct 51 which forms the outlet for the housing. A blower 52 is mounted upon the vertical shaft 53 of a motor 54 which is suspended below the blower housing 50. Rotation of the rotor 52 acts to draw air downwardly through the opening 49 and out the outlet 51. If desired, a conduit may be connected to the blower outlet to direct the air in any desired direction or to any desired outlet point.

A pair of generally U-shaped brackets 55 have outturned ends 56 and 57 which are channeled in bearing loops 59 on the top panel 19 on opposite sides of the central aperture 25. The outturned ends 57 terminate in an angularly extending end 60 which is arranged at an acute angle to the plane of the U-shaped bracket 55. The brackets 55 are arranged with their axes on the parallel lines equally spaced from the center of the aperture 25. The purpose of the brackets 55 is to support the lid 29 in a raised position while the bag 37 is being removed or replaced. When the lid 29 is raised upwardly, the brackets 55 may swing upwardly and inwardly until the angular arms 60 engage the upper surface of the top panel 19. When thus located, the upper ends of the brackets 55 are somewhat closer together than the diameter of the lid 29 so that the lid may be lowered into contact therewith to be supported in spaced parallel relation above the top panel 19.

The operation of the apparatus is believed fairly evident from the foregoing description. When the device is to be used, the lid 29 is raised and is held in raised position by the brackets 55. A bag 37 is positioned in the cabinet, and the upper cylindrical portion 25 of the bag is extended through the flange 26, and the bag is folded over the top of the flange 26 to encircle the flange. The drawstring 45 is then tightened to secure the bag in place, and the lid is lowered, the gasket 36 engaging against the folded neck of the bag and clamping the bag against the top of the flange 26. Thus the neck of the bag assists in forming the gasket between the lid and the cabinet.

The sleeve 35 being connected by suitable ductwork to the area where the air is contaminated with dust, the

motor 54 is started to drive the fan 52, withdrawing air and lint from the contaminated area into the interior of the bag 37. The bag 37 being formed of porous fabric or the like which will trap the lint and permit the air to pass therethrough, the air is withdrawn from the bag, and the lint is trapped within the bag.

After a suflicient quantity of lint or similar material is collected in the bag 37, the motor and fan are turned off, the lid 29 raised and supported in raised position, and the drawstring 45 of the bag is loosened. The bag 37 may then be removed from the cabinet through the opening provided for the door 15 and either emptied and returned into position, or else replaced. Due to the simplicity with which the filter bag may be changed, the lint collector may be in use almost continuously.

In order to limit the flexing of the bag 37 toward the fan 52, a foraminous grille or screen 61 is supported in spaced parallel relation to the bottom panel 21. In the arrangement illustrated, the grille 61 comprises three perforated horizontal panels 62, 63 and 64. The outer panels 62 and 64 are bent to provide vertical side flanges 65 and 66, and vertical end flanges 67 and 69 respectively. Reinforcing flanges extend downwardly from the inner opposed edges of the panels 62 and 64 as indicated at 70 and 71 respectively. The center panel 63 is provided with vertical front and rear flanges 72, and vertical reinforcing edges 73 and 74 which extend downwardly in face contact with the previously described flanges 70 and 71 respectively. Thus a continuous grille or screen is provided.

The main advantages of the structure described lies in the fact that almost the entire area of the bag is subjected to partial vacuum within the cabinet so that virtually the entire surface of the bag may be used for filtering purposes. As a result, with a material such as lint which will build up a porous pad capable of permitting free or nearly free airflow through the pad and filter bag, a very sizeable quantity of lint may be collected. While FIGURE 4 of the drawings shows the wall of the bag in close proximity to the walls of the cabinet, it should be remembered that the cabinet is rectangular so that the points of near contact are only near the centers of the wall panels.

The simplicity of changing bags is also of importance. As a result, it is possible to change the bags at frequent intervals if desired to collect lint of different colors where different colored fabrics are being processed on the machines. This is also true when it is desired to segregate lint particles of certain size or from different types of material. The filter bags may be of woven or non-woven cloth of animal or chemical origin, and the bag need not be secured with an airtight seal to the flange encircling the neck in view of the fact that the lid clamps the bag in place due to the differential in pressure inside and outside the cabinet.

It will also be seen that the filter element A may be easily moved about from place to place with ease due to its compact structure, and due to the fact that the ductwork connected to the inlet may be flexible, and the only other connection need be an electrical current to the fan motor.

In accordance with the patent oflice statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in lint collection, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A lint filter including:

a body including a top wall and a bottom wall peripherally connected by vertical wall means,

said top wall including a substantially central aperture encircled by an upwardly projecting flange,

a foraminous grille extending parallel to, and spaced above, said bottom panel,

a porous filter bag having a body portion of somewhat smaller periphery than said vertical wall and having a substantially cylindrical open end having a peripheral hem enclosing a draw string securing the open position about the flange,

said open end portion of said bag extending through said aperture, being folded outwardly over the top of said flange, and said draw string encircling said flange to hold said bag in place,

the diameter of the open end portion of the bag being substantially equal to the outer diameter of said flange,

a lid having a peripheral downwardly opening channel overlying said flange,

a ring-shaped gasket in said channel and contacting the portion of said bag overlying said flange, said gasket and bag portion combining to form a substantially airtight seal between said flange and said lid when the interior of said body is subjected to partial vacuan inlet opening in said lid,

a suction fan secured to said bottom panel and operable to withdraw air from the portion of said body beneath said grille, the interior of said body, and the interior of said bag. 2. The structure of claim 1 and including a pair of lid supporting brackets hingedly supported by said top 5 Wall along parallel axes and being pivotal from a position against said top wall to an upwardly and inwardly inclined position beneath said lid when said lid is raised into an elevated position above said flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1910 Cochran 55-373 6/1913 White 55-472 X 6/1915 Wiedemann et a1. 55-373 X 3/1932 McClatchie 55-380 X 11/1940 Kahn 55-366 9/1953 Sheahan 55-373 1/1957 Meyerhoefer 55472 X 4/ 1965 Nolte.

FOREIGN PATENTS 9/1959 France.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner. S. W. SOKOLOFF, Assistant Examiner. 

